Method and system for computerized high rate image processing

ABSTRACT

A method and system provides computerized high-rate image processing. Each detecting element receives electromagnetic radiation and produces an electrical detection signal according to an amount of electromagnetic radiation received on the respective detecting element. The electrical detection signals of each detection element corresponding to an assigned region of interest in the field of view. The electrical detection signals of all detecting elements assigned to the same region of interest are summed to produce an output signal.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/037,419 filed on Feb. 21, 1997, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to image processing, and more particularlyto a method and system for computerized high-rate image processing.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

In recent years, computerized data acquisition for imaging has become astate-of-the-art technique in a wide variety of applications. Imaging isbeing used, for example, to automatically detect manufacturing faults,to convert typed and hand-written text into a digital format, and toexamine the spread of electrical excitation in biological tissues.

Conventional techniques have been developed with frame rates comparableto those associated with broadcast video (60 non-interlaced frames/sec).In these systems, a camera having an array of pixels images an entirefield of view which includes at least one region of interest within thefield. The entire image is then transferred to a computer for processingas an array of pixels defining a frame. In the computer, the framesequences are processed using software to analyze the regions ofinterest. In many applications, the desired analysis may be a quantitysuch as a time signature of the sum of intensities from a number ofpixels in each region of interest. However, because the entire imageframe is transferred to the computer for processing, data handling andtransfer limits the obtainable frame rate.

To extend the frame rate, specialized systems have been developed havingframe rates up to approximately 1,000 frames/sec. These systems store upto several thousand images in large banks of solid state memory foroff-line play-back, processing, and analysis. Hence, the memoryrequirements cause these systems to be expensive (often costing inexcess of US$100,000) and limited in spatial resolution. Further, thesesystems do not process data in “real time”.

Other specialized systems have been developed with frame rates up to 1million frames/sec. However, these systems require several cameras(generally, two to ten cameras) in which each stores a single image in“flash” memory with no online processing. Hence, these systems aregenerally not suitable because they can only process a few images(generally, two to ten) at a time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method and systemfor computerized high-rate imaging that substantially obviates one ormore of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the relatedart.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image processingsystem and method which can operate at high-rates.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an imageprocessing system and method which is easily and economicallymanufactured.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the methodfor image processing comprises the steps of receiving electromagneticradiation on first and second detecting elements; producing first andsecond electrical detection signals from the first and second detectingelements, respectively, each of the electrical detection signalscorresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation received on acorresponding one of the detecting elements; and summing the first andsecond electrical detection signals to produce an output signal.

In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises first andsecond detecting elements for receiving electromagnetic radiation; meansfor producing first and second electrical detection signals from thefirst and second detecting elements, respectively, each of theelectrical detection signals corresponding to an amount ofelectromagnetic radiation received on a corresponding one of thedetecting elements; and means for summing the first and secondelectrical detection signals to produce an output signal.

In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises a firstdetecting element responsive to a first amount of incidentelectromagnetic radiation thereon to produce a first electricaldetection signal corresponding to the first amount of incidentelectromagnetic radiation; a second detecting element responsive to asecond amount of incident electromagnetic radiation thereon to produce asecond electrical detection signal corresponding to the second amount ofelectromagnetic radiation; comparator circuitry coupled to the first andsecond detecting elements, the comparator circuitry determining if eachof the first and second detecting elements are assigned to a selectedregion of interest; and summing circuitry coupled to the first andsecond detecting elements, wherein if both the first and seconddetecting elements are assigned to the selected region of interest, thecomparator enables the first and second electrical detection signals tobe received and analog added by the summing circuitry to produce anoutput signal.

In another aspect, the system for image processing comprises an array ofdetecting elements having a subset of detection elements correspondingto a region of interest, each detecting element in the array responsiveto incident electromagnetic radiation to produce a respective electricaldetection signal corresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiationincident thereon; and pre-processor circuitry coupled to the array ofdetecting elements wherein the electrical detection signals from thesubset of detecting elements corresponding to the region of interest areanalog added to produce an output signal.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a computerized high-rate image processing system accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows concepts and components for the data collection processaccording to the present invention;

FIGS. 3A through 3C show an exemplary case of the image processingaccording to the present invention;

FIGS. 4A through 4D show exemplary cases of image processing usingdifferent regions of interest according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a pre-processor according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the circuitry for operating thepre-processor of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the logic circuitry associated witheach light detecting pixel of the pre-processor of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 shows a process sequence used to control the movement of chargein one embodiment of a light detecting pixel;

FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a communication pathway according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 shows an imaging pre-processor interface according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

The present invention achieves high frame rates in a wide range ofapplications by data pre-processing and acquisition in real-time. Inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention extremely highframe rates are obtained by summing intensity information from eachpixel in the regions of interest using high-speed analog circuitry.Summed intensities are converted to numeric values and transmitted to acomputer via a high-speed interface. Because only summed values (not rawimages) are transferred to the computer, this embodiment cannot be usedwith all imaging applications. However, summing intensities from sets ofpixels is performed as an initial step in many, if not most, imageprocessing applications allowing this technique of the present inventionto be used over a wide range of applications. Accordingly, theperformance of some applications can be improved as compared with theperformance of conventional techniques. In other applicationsperformance levels can be achieved that are unattainable usingconventional techniques.

Generally, the computerized high-rate image processing system of thepresent invention comprises a pre-processor and a processor. FIG. 1shows a computerized high-rate image processing system according to oneembodiment. Here, the system comprises a pre-processor 101 having anarray of sensing elements (“pixels”) and pre-processor circuitry, acommunications pathway 103, and a processor 105.

Referring to FIG. 1, the pre-processor 101 measures incidentelectromagnet radiation and sums total intensities for each region ofinterest. In a preferred embodiment, the summing can be accomplishedusing high speed analog circuitry. Therefore, the pre-processorincorporates both analog and digital circuitry. Further, the sensingelements and the pre-processor circuitry can be integrated into ahigh-rate imaging preprocessor (HIP) chip. This can be achieved, forexample, using VLSI/CMOS technology with a backlit two-dimensionalrectangular pixel array. Further, the pixel array is sensitive toelectromagnetic radiation including visible light, X-rays, ultravioletlight, infrared light, or combinations thereof. Depending on theapplication, optics 107 may also be used to focus the field of view onto the pixel array. Further, the optics, detecting elements, and thepre-processor circuitry can be integrated as a camera. Thecommunications pathway 103 can be implemented as a conventional parallelor serial communications cable. The system is capable of operating undera number of standard computer platforms including but not limited tosmall (e.g. single chip) computer controllers, multichannel analyzer,desktop microcomputers (e.g. Pentium (TM) based systems), or mainframecomputers. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the processor is a computer 105supporting an HIP interface 109 and processing software (not shown).

Some concepts and components for the data collection process will now beexplained with reference to FIG. 2.

A pixel is an individual (light) sensing element. A region of interest(ROI) is a collection of pixels. Every pixel within a region of interestis assigned an ROI value and no pixels outside the ROI are assigned thatvalue. A region of interest may be arbitrary in shape, size, orlocation. Also, a region of interest does not need to be contiguous. Forexample, a region of interest may be as small as a single pixel or covermost of an entire frame. Moreover, the regions of interest for a fieldof view may be defined within a computer with all of its computationaland graphics capabilities in order to satisfy the specific processingneeds of a particular application. In the example of FIG. 2, the threeregions of interest are a horizontal line, a diagonal line, and an “S.”region. Here, the “S.” region is a non-contiguous region of interest.

A frame is an array of pixels that make up all available sensingelements. Accordingly, the regions of interest are defined within theframe. Usually, a rectangular array is used but any desired shape may beselected. Typical arrays might consist of 512×512 pixels. As will beexplained, pre-processor timing is not dependent upon the number ofpixels but on the number of regions of interest, thereby allowingextremely large arrays (e.g. 8,192×8,192) to be utilized withoutcompromising speed.

By collecting data from a series of frames, it is possible to obtain atime signature (or traces) to study the dynamics of the total intensityin each region of interest. For example, the event sequence can bedisplayed on a screen as a series of simultaneously-collected timesignatures, thereby facilitating further data analysis. Note that theentire frame does not need to be stored or transferred, only valuesrepresenting summed intensities for each region of interest. As aresult, the technique of the present invention can significantly reducethe quantity of data by a factor of 10,000 or more, thereby permittinghigh frame rates to be analyzed.

As discussed above, the regions of interest can be arbitrary in form.Furthermore, it is possible to change the regions of interest online torapidly adapt to changes according to the data requirements.Alternatively, the regions of interest can be fixed.

Generally, the events to be studied can be categorized according totime-varying changes in intensity at static locations, translation,rotation, and combinations thereof. The regions of interest can then beselected in consideration of such categorizations. Exemplary cases willnow be discussed with reference to FIGS. 3A through 3C and FIGS. 4Athrough 4D.

While FIGS. 3A through 3C do not show actual data taken using thepresent invention, FIGS. 3A through 3C show an example wherein changesin intensity are monitored at static locations. Specifically, FIG. 3A isa image frame taken from an actual on-line measurement of intracellularcalcium concentrations using a fluorescent dye (fluo-3). FIG. 3Bidentifies a number of cells which are “pacemaker” cells within agastrointestinal tract. These pacemaker cells are used to define theregions of interest. FIG. 3C shows the time signatures from the summedintensities of each pixel in each region of interest. While theseparticular cells generate extremely slow changes in intracellularcalcium, other biological events occur much more rapidly. For example,neural events require time resolutions on the order of 1 millisecond.Further, optical investigation of other phenomena requires even fastertimes. Thus, these phenomena are well beyond the capabilities ofconventional techniques. However, with the high-rate image processing ofthe present invention, the desired time resolution can be achieved.

FIG. 4A shows an exemplary case of translation wherein an object sweepsacross the field of view. Here, the object might project an image thatis as small as a few pixels or be sufficiently large that only theleading edge is encountered. In FIG. 4A, the regions of interest thatare shown might be used if the direction of propagation of a dynamicevent were known and the object were small (e.g. a bullet) or if theobject sweeps the field of view primarily as a planar wave front (e.g.vibration of a large object). Specifically, six rectangular regions ofinterest are numbered in the field of view (left panel). From the peaks,slopes, or valleys in the time signature (right panel) of the detectedlight intensity, it is possible to determine quantities such asconduction velocity for a known frame rate and magnification of thefield of view. Here, the slope of the line measured in FIG. 4A isproportional to conduction velocity in the case of a projectile, oroscillatory frequency in the case of a vibrating object.

The example of FIG. 4B is similar to that FIG. 4A except the regions ofinterest have a complex shape. Accordingly, the regions of interest canbe selected to correspond to any wave front of objects sweeping acrossthe field of view. An exemplary case would include a system formonitoring a high-speed assembly line where objects with irregularshapes pass through the field of view. As in the case of FIG. 4A, onecan measure, for example, conduction velocities, variations inconduction velocities, or anomalies in the wave form of a given event.In the case of an assembly line, one could monitor for defects in theassembly line process.

FIG. 4C shows an example of regions of interest for measuring theconduction velocity of an object passing through the field of view froman arbitrary direction. Accordingly, the regions of interest are spacedin the field of view with respect to the X and Y directions. While notshown, pixels in the regions where regions of interest intersect can beshared, for example, by assigning alternate pixels to each region ofinterest. Accordingly, conduction velocities can be computed from thecomponents in the X and Y directions according to v={square root over(x²+y²)}, where x and y are the conduction velocities components in theX and Y directions, respectively, and where v is the total conductionvelocity. Likewise, direction can be computed from θ=tan⁻¹(y/x).

FIG. 4D shows an exemplary case involving rotation around a centralpoint, origin, or axis. Rotating objects can often be viewed for anumber of repetitive cycles. FIG. 4D shows an example of a region ofinterest table that might be used to analyze the rotation of objects. Asan example, angular velocities can readily be computed given the framerate and the number of regions of interest per revolution. Moreover, onecan also determine variations in angular velocity, as a function oflocation and/or time, and whether a specific component of the rotatingobject varies as compared to others (e.g. one blade of a helicopterrotor or a fin within a turbine engine).

Because of the numerous advantages, especially with respect to increasedreal-time frame rates, achieved by the image processing technique of thepresent invention, there is an extremely wide range of applications thatcan be facilitated. While not inclusive, some exemplary applications andprocesses that would be facilitated and/or enabled by the technique ofthe present invention would include: visualization and quantitativeassessment of moving parts within modem engines and machinery (either asa single event or a process that is rapidly repeated); fault detectionin high-speed assembly lines (including the ability to re-constructevents that lead to the fault); observation of the actual formation offractures and other faults in structures and components (beams,bearings, etc.); observation of the rapid formation of assemblies andstructures during materials processing (crystals, polymers, etc.);“crash testing” and analyses of other destructive events (whetherintentional or spontaneous); fluid and semi-fluid dynamics analyses(e.g. vortex or turbulence formation); event re-construction inelectronic circuits (frequently using infrared and/or X-ray sensors);measurements of the velocities of projectiles and missiles; assessingperformance characteristics of rotating objects such as helicopterblades and turbines including assessment under load conditions;vibration detection and analysis in a wide range of man-made and naturalobjects; detection and visualization of products generated by chemicaland biochemical reactions; visualization of events within biologicaltissues and cells (frequently using dyes, fluorescent probes and otheragents to detect the presence, formation or movement of specificcompounds); continuous monitoring of component performance withinmachinery in order to alert operators to emergency situations or to helpschedule maintenance; deformation analysis during the impact of two ormore objects (potentially viewed with more than one high-rateprocessor); detailed assessment of the performance of illuminationsources (lasers, arc lamps, etc.); or the like.

While the computerized high-rate imaging system according to the presentinvention can be configured in any number of ways, FIGS. 5 through 10represent an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a pre-processor chip and the circuitry for operatingthe pre-processor chip. An exemplary layout of the a pre-processor chipis illustrated in FIG. 5. That is, the pre-processor chip is a specific,custom-design CMOS VLSI circuit for performing light-sensing, chargeaccumulation, and timing/control of digital and analog signals. Apreferred embodiment of a pre-processor chip integrates a backlittwo-dimensional pixel array. For each region of interest, the circuitproduces a voltage which is converted to a numeric value by a high-speedanalog-to-digital (A/D) converter. Additional conditioning of thevoltages for each region of interest is performed by a digital-to-analog(D/A) converter and programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) that providesoftware-programmable offset and gain control, respectively. An externalclock (e.g. crystal) provides a reference timing signal. Two binarystatus flags (0 or +3˜5 volt) flags can optionally be provided viaconnectors attached to the pre-processor case. These signals arebuffered and conveyed to the computer for use in synchronization ofdisplay and/or timing measurements under software control. Communicationwith the computer involves digital voltages (e.g. within cables) ordigital signals (e.g. during wireless communication) as shown on theright side of FIG. 5, thereby minimizing the need forspecially-conditioned lines or signals.

An exemplary circuit for the operation of the custom VLSI preprocessorchip of FIG. 5 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The circuit of FIG. 6primarily illustrates circuitry to control the flow of information andtiming. While designs with a different byte size (i.e., determining themaximum number of regions of interest) are possible, 8 bits will be usedfor illustration purposes. Data is sent to the chip in 8-bit “bytes”with a 3-bit “address”. The “address” is used to direct data from thecomputer to storage registers (“latches”) within the pre-processor chipas listed, for example, in Table I.

TABLE I Peripheral Storage Decode (3 bit address) address storagelocation 0 forward and store pixel latches [incoming data stored inpixel latch 0] 1 ROI counter (value typically equal to number of ROI's +7) 2 high byte clock divide-by counter latch (most significant byte) 3intermediate byte clock divide-by counter latch 4 low byte clockdivide-by counter latch (least significant byte) 5 digital-to-analogconverter latch 6 programmable gain amplifier control (2 bits)differential input control (1 bit) 5 bits unused (expansion) 7 unused(expansion)

The basic clock frequency applied to the chip is reduced by a 24-bit“divide by n” counter. This is performed, for example, by resetting the24-bit counter (i.e., three 8-bit counters) to 0 when the count storedin latch 2, latch 3, and latch 4 is reached. In this manner, thecomputer can select any frequency from the primary clock frequency(typically in excess of 150 million/second) to the same frequencydivided by any value up to 2²⁴ (approx. 16 million). The resultingfrequency can be further divided by 2 via a flip-flop to ensure aconsistent (50%) duty cycle. The signal is then fed to a ROI counter(typically 8 bits). This counter steps through each region of interestaccording to a specific number of clock cycles required to sum chargesand to control charge movement. As will be described, each region ofinterest typically requires one clock cycle to sum charges. Sevenadditional clock cycles are typically required to process each frame.The computer controls the number of regions of interest by the valuestored in latch 1. The value in latch 1 is typically equal to the numberof regions of interest plus seven.

Initial values (0 through 6) within the ROI counter are used to controlthe movement of charge as illustrated in FIG. 8. Here, chargeaccumulation corresponds to photon accumulation, i.e., incidentintensity. The symbols describing control potentials for each chargewell are listed in Table II. The sequence of voltages move charge storedin the positive well controlled by V_(P) into the negative (orreference) well controlled by V_(N), and then from the light-sensitivewell controlled by V_(L) into the positive well.

As shown in FIG. 8, charges have accumulated in the light-sensitive wellin response to incident photons and the negative well is reset to clearany charges therein in the first clock cycle. Here, the negative well isillustrated as containing the charges to be cleared. Then, the processto move charges from the positive well to the negative well begins bycombining the positive well with the reset negative well by applying avoltage V_(PN) in the second clock cycle. In the third clock cycle, thecharges in the combined positive and negative well are consolidatedtoward the negative well by turning off V_(P). In the fourth clockcycle, the consolidation of the charges into the negative well iscompleted by turning off V_(PN). In addition, the process to movecharges from the light-sensitive well to the positive well begins byturning on V_(LP). Then, in the fifth clock signal, the charges are moveout of the light sensitive well toward the positive well by turning ofV_(L). Next, the consolidation of the charges into the positive well iscompleted by turning off V_(LP) in the sixth clock cycle. Finally, inthe seventh clock cycle, the light-sensitive well is reset and availablefor charge accumulation in response to incident photons. Duringsubsequent clock cycles, the positive and negative wells are summed foreach region of interest, and the process is ready to be repeated. Inthis process, charges are allowed to accumulate during the first throughfourth clock cycles. Also, the light-sensitive wells accumulate chargewhile all regions of interest are processed, thereby maximizing thesignal-to-noise ratio.

This arrangement of FIG. 8 allows either measurements of actual chargesaccumulated between measurements or the difference in chargeaccumulation in a measurement as compared to a previous measurement. Ifdifference (i.e. differential) images are required, the charge differentbetween the positive and negative wells is measured. Otherwise, thenegative well is drained of charge at the same time accumulation isinitiated in the light-sensitive well (providing a reference voltage fornoise cancellation). Voltages are synchronized by an 8×7 bitread-only-memory (ROM) where the 3 address lines are the three leastsignificant bits of the ROI counter. The values stored in the ROM arelisted in Table II. If any of the most significant bits of the ROIcounter are 1, the ROM address is set to 7 (using three OR gates) whichsets the control voltages to a normal light gathering and dataaccumulation state. The rest of the circuitry in the lower right of FIG.6 controls the deposition of data onto the bi-directional bus which is apart of the communication pathway connecting the pre-processor to thepre-processor computer interface.

TABLE II Charge-well ROM (3 bit address) contents symbol well controlledaddress: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 V_(L) photo-sensitive lightwell 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 V_(LP) barrier between light and positive wells 0 01 1 0 0 0 0 V_(P) positive (storage) well 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 V_(PN) barrierbetween positive & negative wells V_(N) negative potential well (alwayson) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 R_(L) reset (drain charge from) L well 1 0 0 0 0 01* 0 R_(N) reset (drain charge from) N well 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 V_(S) sumand sample (normal operation) *value ANDed with differential flag (0 ifdifferential, 1 otherwise)

An exemplary logic circuit 701 associated with each pixel is illustratedin FIG. 7. Generally, each pixel is associated with a digital memoryelement, such as a latch 703, to store a number to associate the pixelwith a region of interest, a circuit, such as a comparator 705, todetermine if the numeric value stored in memory is equal to the value onthe digital data bus 707, and circuits to transfer signal charges. Theconfiguration of the energy wells 709 of FIG. 7 are shown in greaterdetail in FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 7, the system counts numerically to sequence througheach region of interest once. Here, the digital data bus 707 distributesthe count value that encodes the current region of interest to allpixels. Each pixel location is the site of an “ROI latch” 703 (typically8 bits) that identifies each pixel with a region of interest. ROI latchdata can, for example, be stored in a serial mode where the output ofone latch 703 is connected to the input of the next latch 703 tominimize address logic and data paths, thereby allowing for increasedefficiency of light collection. When a new value is stored in the pixelarray (output from the computer to address 0 according to Table I), thecontents of each ROI latch 703 are shifted to the next latch 703 andeach bit is momentarily stored on a memory element, such as a capacitor,thereby freeing up the first pixel latch 703. Since the computer knowsthe sequence of connections between the serial ROI latches 703, anyregion of interest shape/pattern can be loaded into the pre-processorarray using this “forward and store” scheme.

When the numeric value of the pre-processor ROI latch 703 matches thatof the digital data bus 707, charges in the energy wells 709proportional to signal intensity are transferred to the analog bus 711.Here, it is understood that electromagnetic radiation is converted inelectromagnetic radiation sensitive regions into free charges and storedin energy wells 709 defined in the semiconductor material. The chargesaccumulated in the energy wells 709 are enabled to distribute onpositive and negative leads of the analog bus 711 by controlling thegates of transistors 713. Simultaneously, all other pixels of the sameregion of interest contribute charges to the same analog bus 711. Theresult is an algebraic analog summation of charges on each of thepositive and negative leads.

The summed charge associated with all pixels of a given region ofinterest is then converted to a voltage and amplified by an amplifier715. The voltage is then typically applied to an analog-to-digitalconverter, which may be separate from the preprocessor chip orintegrated into the pre-processor chip, and transferred to the memory ofthe computer. In order to detect small changes in signal intensity on asignificant background signal, a voltage offset under computer controlcan optionally be applied prior to signal amplification using the offsetcontrol circuit of FIG. 5.

It might be noted that charges in the positive (and negative) wells arere-distributed to an average charge in all ROI wells by this process. Ifcharges in the positive well are transferred to the negative well andre-used during differential recording, the summed charge for each regionof interest remains the same, and the information lost by there-distribution of charges does not affect the output of thepre-processor if capacitances of the bus leads are compensated.

During each frame, the process is repeated for each region of interestin the frame. Once all regions of interest are processed, charges fromall light sensitive regions are transferred simultaneously to adjacentstorage wells as described with reference to FIG. 8.

Typically, seven clock cycles are needed in the cycle discussed abovewith reference to FIG. 8. That is, each frame requires seven clockcycles in addition to the number of regions of interest. Therefore, thetotal frame rate is given by: $\begin{matrix}{{{TOTAL}\quad {FRAME}\quad {RATE}} = \frac{{CLOCK}\quad {RATE}}{\left( {{{NO}.\quad {OF}}\quad {ROIs}} \right) + 7}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

Therefore, if modern VLSI designs can have clock rates in excess of 150million cycles/second, frames rates exceeding 1 million frames persecond can be achieved.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the pre-processor and theprocessor are connected via a communications pathway and thepre-processor interface. Typically, communication can be performed via amulti-wire cable; however, wireless communication can be utilized ordirect circuit interconnections can be used when the computer/controlleris incorporated in the pre-processor circuit. Further, the communicationcan be serial or parallel as desired. One example of the wiring of acable connecting a pre-processor and a computer is illustrated in FIG.9. The cable is a 16 bit bi-directional cable, but can be reduced to a 1or 2 bit tri-state data bus, or other suitable type. Optionally, powercan be provided to the pre-processor from the computer interface usingthe cable.

The overall organization of an example of a high-rate imagingpre-processor interface card is shown in FIG. 10. In the case of desktopcomputers, commercially available chip-sets are available to interfacethe standard PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus to peripheralssuch as the high-rate imaging pre-processor. Here, circuitry assemblesdata from the pre-processor into 32-bit or 64-bit words suitable fordirect memory access (DMA) via the PCI bus. In addition, circuitrysequences outgoing data from the computer with incoming data from thepre-processor.

As described above, one embodiment of the processor is a computer whichis software controlled. Exemplary functions performed by softwareinclude: i) defining the regions of interest and sending them to thepre-processor, ii) acquisition and storage of data at the high ratesgenerated by the image processing system of the present invention, iii)displaying data (or at least selected data) in an on-line manner, andiv) computing measurements and more complex displays according to dataacquired. General-purpose software can be developed to meet a widevariety of applications, particularly functions i-iii above. Otherapplications might require application specific measurements anddisplays to be performed. Analysis at extremely high rates requires ahigh-performance computer. In contrast, when used in dedicated orsingle-chip computer applications, region of interest can be pre-set atthe time of manufacture in order to perform specific sets ofmeasurements. Some examples of software capabilities will now bedescribed.

In the image processing technique of the present invention, one can makearbitrarily complex regions of interest as defined by a micro-computer.This feature is particularly enhanced in consideration of the computingpower and graphics capabilities of a computer. Regions of interest canbe arbitrary in shape, size, or location. In addition, regions ofinterest can be varied during the course of an application in apre-programmed fashion or dependent upon on-line results within asequence of images. Accordingly, regions of interest can be formed basedon irregularly-shaped objects within images using predefined shapes,grid or repeat patterns, using objects within images that meetpre-defined criteria, using any of a wide range of image processingtechniques, using manually entered shapes from a mouse or other pointingdevice (e.g. in FIG. 3B regions 1 and 3 were manually “cut apart”), orusing any combination of these approaches.

Simultaneously collected regions of interest can be displayed in graphicform similar to the time signatures of FIGS. 4A through 4D. Many of theoperations common to multi-channel oscilloscopes are possible duringdata acquisition. Displays can be synchronized using an external“trigger” supplied on the ‘status 1’ and/or ‘status 2’ inputs.Alternatively, displays can be synchronized by “triggering” (e.g.detection of a threshold intensity) on any of the ROI channels or afixed time-base can be specified by the user. During extremely high-ratedata collection, only selected sweeps might be displayed in order todevote more computational resources to data storage. The storage of datacan be triggered by the occurrence of an event on one of the ROIchannels or status lines, for example, when measuring the velocity of aprojectile. This would be similar to the “single sweep” function usingan oscilloscope. Also, high-pass, band-pass and/or low-pass filtering,under some conditions equivalent to integration or differentiation, canbe preformed on each channel. Software-controlled offset and gaincontrol, in addition to the offset and gain provided in thepre-processor hardware, are also possible for each channel.

Because of the computational and storage capabilities offered by currentcomputers, more complex forms of data analysis can be performed.Accurate measures of the sequence and time of events can be determinedwithin and among all of the ROI channels and the status lines. Bydetermining optical magnification, the distance between any pair ofregions of interest can be calculated. This allows many combinations ofconduction velocities to be computed. By comparing the wave forms, usingany of a number of cross-correlation algorithms, both in time using asingle ROI channel or among all ROI channels, it is possible todetermine the occurrence of anomalous events. Using continuous digitaldata storage techniques, such as circular buffering, one can retrievethe sequence of events that lead to the anomalous behavior. A number ofother more sophisticated analyses are possible. Many of these arespecific to particular applications.

While the foregoing descriptions describe specific embodiments of thepresent invention, numerous variations of the present invention arepossible according to the application requirements. For example,detecting elements can be used to sense a wide range of electromagneticradiation including visible light, X-rays (soft and hard), ultravioletand heat. The number of lines within the digital data bus can be alteredto meet requirements for the maximum number of regions of interest totrade off the number of circuit elements in the sensing area which canreduce collection efficiency. The number of bits in the counter thatcontrols clock rate can be adjusted to meet timing needs. The number andsize of sensing elements pixels) can be altered to meet specificresolution and sensitivity requirements. In addition, the geometry andplacement of pixels is not limited to rectangular grids, but can becompletely arbitrary in form such as individual lines, circular regions,or regions of increased densities of pixels. Charge wells to enabledifferential images can be included/excluded according to imagerequirements. Individual pixels can be assigned to multiple regions ofinterest, for example, by modifying the “comparator” of FIG. 7 to ignore1 or more digital data bus bits. Although the embodiments describedabove use the CMOS foundry processes, any or all of the circuitry can beimplemented using other foundry processes to implement designs. Thenumber of data lines in the communications interface can be altered tomeet data transfer rate versus ease of use requirements, such as cableweight and flexibility. In fact, as a preferred embodiment for all butthe highest data transfer rates, a “serial” interface scheme can beutilized which reduces the communications cable to four wires. Further,the communications interface can consist of physical “wires” or make useof “wireless” transmission. Amplification, voltage offset, and number ofbits of resolution of the analog-to-digital converter, which is 12 bitsin FIG. 5, can be adjusted to meet signal sensitivity and intensityrequirements.

The interface in not limited to desktop computers. For certainapplications, even greater image-processing rates and analysiscapabilities can be attained by interfacing with more powerfulcomputers. On the other hand, small “single chip” computers orcontrollers can be used in dedicated applications, such as onlinemonitoring of engine performance.

Data acquisition and processing can be performed via any number ofintegrated circuits or components. For example, A/D conversion and eventhe computer/controller can be incorporated within the samepre-processor integrated circuit as the sensing elements. Algorithms fordata analysis can be general purpose to operating much like amulti-channel oscilloscope or specific measurements can be automaticallymade for applications such as conduction velocity, displacement,rotational or vibrational frequency.

In accordance with the foregoing descriptions, the computerizedhigh-rate imaging system offers numerous advantages. The ability tosimply point a pre-processing “camera” to analyze the dynamics ofobjects that are moving or changing rapidly over time greatly simplifiestest instrumentation in terms of setup, complexity, and/or reliability.In addition, the high-rate pre-processor “camera” can be a miniaturedevice that is easy to handle or to place in small compartments, forexample, within machinery. Also, the controlling computer can be assmall as a single-chip device incorporated within the same integratedcircuit as the sensor or as extensive as a super computer. Further,imaging provides a minimal distortion of the objects being measured.This is an improvement over, for example, accelerometer basedmeasurements of vibration where the mass of the measuring deviceproduces at least some effect on the objects being tested. Accelerometerbased designs also rely on assumptions regarding initial conditions todetermine displacement from acceleration. In contrast, the inventivesystem provides a direct measure of displacement from which velocity,acceleration, and other parameters can be computed.

In the present invention, the circuitry can be fabricated usingCMOS/VLSI technology which is currently one of the most common and leastexpensive fabrication techniques in the electronics semi-conductorindustry. Moreover, current CMOS/VLSI technology can be adapted to sensea wide spectral range including visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray,infrared, etc. Accordingly, the imaging system of the present inventioncan be used in many desired spectral ranges.

In many applications, continuous, real-time, on-line monitoring ofmultiple channels of information is essential. Here, the conversion ofdata directly into a format that can be processed by a computer orcontroller allows operations to be performed based on any pre-programmedcriteria. For example, whenever a fault is detected, the computer mightpermanently store data from the sequence of frames that lead up to thefault.

Data can initially be displayed in a “user friendly” format much like acommon multi-channel oscilloscope. Data can then be further processed toperform more sophisticated measurements. Accordingly, highly controlledand accurate measurements can be made with respect to time and space.The resolution of signal intensity, for example, incident light, is alsoenhanced since the summing of charges from many individual pixels tendsto average random sources of noise.

The ability to establish multiple regions of interest within the fieldof view that are completely arbitrary in qualities such as size, shape,and location allows an essentially limitless number of potentialconfigurations. Further, the ability to rapidly change the regions ofinterest in response to the incoming data stream further extendsapplications.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the method and system forcomputerized high-rate imaging of the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention cover the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for image processing, comprising thesteps of: receiving electromagnetic radiation on an optical detector;defining at least a first region of interest within a field of view ofthe detector, a portion of the detector corresponding to the firstregion of interest having at least first and second detecting elements;producing first and second electrical detection signals from the firstand second detecting elements, respectively, each of the electricaldetection signals corresponding to an amount of electromagneticradiation received on a corresponding one of the detecting elements; andanalog summing the first and second electrical detection signals toproduce an analog output signal.
 2. The method for image processingaccording to claim 1, wherein the first and second detecting elementscomprise a subset of a two-dimensional array of detecting elements. 3.The method for image processing according to claim 1, wherein theelectrical detection signals are analog.
 4. The method for imageprocessing according to claim 3, further comprising the step ofconverting the output signal into a digital signal.
 5. The method forimage processing according to claim 1, wherein the region of interest isone of contiguous and non-contiguous.
 6. The method for image processingaccording to claim 1, wherein the electrical detection signals areaccumulated charges and the output signal is a voltage.
 7. The methodfor image processing according to claim 1, further comprising the stepsof: receiving electromagnetic radiation on a second portion of thedetector having at least third and fourth detecting elements, whereinthe second portion corresponds to a second region of interest within thefield of view, the second region of interest being distinct from thefirst region of interest; producing third and fourth electricaldetection signals from the third and fourth detecting elements,respectively, each of the first through fourth electrical detectionsignals corresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation receivedon respective ones of the first through fourth detecting elements; andsumming the third and fourth electrical detection signal to produce asecond output signal.
 8. The method for image processing according toclaim 7, wherein the step of summing the first and second electricaldetection signals is repeated to produce repeated output signals.
 9. Themethod for image processing according to claim 8, wherein each one ofthe repeated output signals correspond to absolute amounts ofelectromagnetic radiation received from the first region of interest.10. The method for image processing according to claim 8, wherein eachone of the repeated output signals corresponds to a change in the amountof electromagnetic radiation received from the first region of interest.11. The method for image processing according to claim 8, wherein thestep of summing the third and fourth electrical detection signals isrepeated to produce repeated second output signals.
 12. The method forimage processing according to claim 8, further comprising the step ofdetermining a time signature from the repeated output signals.
 13. Themethod for image processing according to claim 7, wherein the first andsecond regions of interest are arranged along a direction of interest.14. The method for image processing according to claim 7, wherein thesecond region of interest is arranged about the first region of interestto detect translational motion.
 15. The method for image processingaccording to claim 7, wherein the second region of interest is arrangedabout the first region of interest to detect rotational motion.
 16. Asystem for image processing, comprising: an optical detector includingat least first and second detecting elements for receivingelectromagnetic radiation; means for defining at least a first region ofinterest within a field of view of the detector, the first region ofinterest being imaged onto a portion of the detector having the firstand second detecting elements; means for producing first and secondelectrical detection signals from the first and second detectingelements, respectively, each of the electrical detection signalscorresponding to an amount of electromagnetic radiation received on acorresponding one of the detecting elements; and means for analogsumming the first and second electrical detection signals to produce ananalog output signal.
 17. The system for image processing according toclaim 16, wherein the first and second detecting elements comprise asubset of a two-dimensional array of detecting elements.
 18. The systemfor image processing according to claim 16, wherein the electricaldetection signals are analog.
 19. The system for image processingaccording to claim 18, further comprising a converter for converting theoutput signal into a digital signal.
 20. The system for image processingaccording to claim 16, further comprising: third and fourth detectingelements included in the detector each for receiving electromagneticradiation, wherein the the defining means defines a second region ofinterest within the field of view that is distinct from the first regionof interest, and wherein the third and fourth detecting elementscorrespond to the second region of interest; means for producing thirdand fourth electrical detection signals from the third and fourthdetecting elements, respectively, each of the first through fourthelectrical detection signals corresponding to an amount ofelectromagnetic radiation received on a corresponding one of thedetecting elements; and means for summing the third and fourthelectrical detection signal to produce a second output signal.
 21. Thesystem for image processing according to claim 16, wherein the means forsumming the first and second electrical detection signals repeatedlysums the first and second electrical detection signals to producerepeated output signals.